im Moray, the artist The Daily Telegraph calls 'the greatest leap forward in folk in 30 years' will be making a rare appearance in the States for two special shows (see info below). He'll be appearing as part of the Looking for a New England package, an exciting and provocative assemblage of Britain's most critically acclaimed new wave of English folk artists. On the heels of his American appearances, a compilation of some of his best known British released songs will be released April 20th on the compilation, A Beginners Guide, E1 / Koch.

Tues., March 16 New York, NY Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St., 212-353-1600.

Fri., March 19 Austin, TX SXSW/St. Davids Church, 301 E. 8th St..

All of the featured acts are Looking for a New England are on the vanguard of the emerging scene and helping to take British folk mainstream. Other performers include The Unthanks, Olivia Chaney, Jackie Oates, Trembling Bells and Gadarene.

"With his laptop and electric guitar, Moray has transformed the British folk revival by showing how traditional song can be revitalized by contemporary technology." ~The Observer

Moray is one of the most consistently inventive musicians working in English folk music today. After three ground-breaking and award-winning albums - 2003's BBC Radio2 Folk Album of Year Sweet England, Jim Moray in 2006 and fRoots Critics Poll and Mojo Folk Album of the Year winner Low Culture in 2008 - he now finds himself at the forefront of the new folk revival in the UK, and hailed as a pivotal influence by a new generation of folk musicians while still only being in his 20s himself. "The perfect blend of trad values and bold adventure to surely delight both hard-core folkies and uber-cool groovers." ~ Observer Music Monthly

Recording his first album Sweet England while still studying classical composition at Birmingham Conservatoire in the day and playing drums in power-pop bands by night, Moray emerged onto the UK folk scene in 2003 seemingly fully formed. His imaginative re-imagining of English traditional music blended with orchestral flourishes, guitars and electronics soon found him awarded the unprecedented combination of 'Best Newcomer' and 'Best Album' at the 2004 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. After notching up a live reputation with performances at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and WOMAD, and alongside Richard Thompson and Oysterband, Moray followed this with 2006's Jim Moray and Low Culture in 2008. Awarded the prestigious fRoots critics poll for best album and the Mojo magazine Folk Album Of The Year, Moray assembled an all-star band including Saul Rose (Waterson:Carthy, Eliza Carthy Band) and William Bowerman (La Roux) to headline summer festivals through 2009. The tour is produced by British Underground, a publicly funded music development agency which has been sponsoring SXSW showcases since 2002, introducing to American audiences to artists such as Amy Winehouse, Jamie Cullum, KT Tunstall, Elbow, Gabriel Prokofiev, Sway, and many more. The group created the first British Music Showcase in partnership with the UK industry trade body BPI. As the interest in the current English folk revival continues to rise, it was decided it was time to take a sampling of these original young performers Stateside.

"Kevin Welch's new album: Damn. Trump. That's it. Game over. Everybody else back to school." ~Ray Wylie Hubbard

t's been eight years since Kevin Welch, an Oklahoma dreamer and traveler and one of our most striking and individual talents, has released a solo album. However, on June 15th, Kevin will release /A Patch of Blue Sky/ on Music Road Records. Since 2002, Kevin relocated from his long time home in Nashville to live under the big Texas skies in Austin. He's toured the world with friends Kieran Kane and Fats Kaplan, and his last solo album the /Millionaire/ was recorded with his Copenhagen pals, The Danes.

Kevin's reputation as a progressive country poet is proven once again with this beautiful and mournful new release. His songs speak from and to the heart as only a true poet can reveal. His melodies are infectious and multi-layered, and pull the listener into his world. His voice has become more expressive from his years on the road. /A Patch of Blue Sky/ is a lovely, sometimes downcast collection of songs of life, love and loss, but his fluent style always leaves room for a sliver of sunshine.

As a tribute to Kevin's lifework, /A Patch of Blue Sky/, includes appearances from his children Savannah with her band The Trishas and son, Dustin.

"****Tight playing, memorable melodies and a gutsy sense of red clay rebelliousness found all too rarely in pre-packaged contemporary blues rock." ~All Music Guide

'm thrilled to be able to introduce Hell Bound Train, on Red Parlor Records from the soulful, double slide, Southern rock combo Delta Moon. The cd is set for an April 6 release. There are many contemporary blues rock bands out on the rock and jam scene today, but few are able to pull off the level of tight playing, top notch songwriting and earthy sounds of Kevin Welch.

Based in Atlanta, The Chicago Sun Times writes "(Tom) Gray and (Mark) Johnson's double-slide style works to perfection". The band has a raw, heartfelt, gritty and soulful sound carrying the listener deep into the heart of the American South. Gray, best known for his time with the rock band The Brains and his songwriting (incl. covers by Cyndi Lauper, Manfred Mann, Bonnie Bramlett, Carlene Carter and more) discovered the slide guitar in the 80's and hasn't put it down since. He and Johnson create a singular sound which thrills both blues and non blues lovers a like. Despite the strong songwriting, Kevin Welch's music elicits a visceral reaction from the listener - it reaches down deep and makes you want to move, yet feel rooted at the same time.